Tenter drier



F. B. MORRILL TENTER DRIER original Filed Aug. 10, 19:51

K /jvew/ov 1M (3 mmm Oct. 22, 1940.

ffy/v gj Patented Oct. 22, 1940 TENTER DRIER Frank B. Morrill, North Adams, Mass., assignor to "James Hunter Machine Company, North Adams, Mass., a corporation of'llvdassacliusettsv original application August 10, 1931, seriaiNo.' 556,154. Divided and this application January 12, 19ss,seria1No.1s4,eo4

3 Claims.

This application is a division of my application Serial No. 556,154, filed August 10, 1931.

The present invention relates to tenter driers,

in which fabric is dried-while traveling in transversely stretched relation. It has to do with the means used to grip the fabric in order both to stretch and to propel it, specifically the tenter pins on the tenter chains.

The usual tenter pins pierce the selvage of the i fabric along a straight warpwise line and pass clear through the latter ina manner which spreads the warp yarns .outwardly in the course of the travel of the cloth through the drier and the accompanying contraction of the cloth as it dries, leaving holes inthe fabric selvages which are objectionable because unsightly, and which persist through the various processes and remain'conspicuous in the finished goods. Notably this is true in the manufacture of blankets.

ing from expensive suitings down to cheap curtain materials, special selvages have to be woven as a part of these fabrics, of contrasting and stronger weave to take the localized strain of the usual tenter pins. These selvages have to be cut off and thrown away in making the iinished article from the fabric, thus entailing Waste, incurred solely to avoid the damaging effect of the common type of tenter pin.

The invention aims to avoid such damage and waste of cloth hitherto incident to the use of tenter pins, through providing each of the ordinary tenter-chain links with a relatively great 35 number of pins, arranged other than in a straight line, which no-t only divide the load so that each pin exerts relatively little distorting force on the fabric, and distribute the load over a relatively large number of Warps and Wefts, but preferably also are bent so that their points do not pass clear through the fabric to leave a visible hole but instead merely hook into the fibers lying at and near one surface of the fabric, and penetrate at a relatively small angle to the plane of 45 the fabric, so that under the maximum stretching force their points still remain Within the thickness of the fabric; also, so that the bend will limit the extent of entry into the fabric. The principal aim of the invention is to distribute the force exerted by each cloth-engaging link of the tenter-chain over a sufficient area of contact and over a sufficient number of warps and wefts, so that no distortion or opening-up of the component elements of the cloth at the point of engagement Will result. Other aims of In the case of vother fabrics, of all grades rang-y (cree-62) the-` invention,v and their manner of attainment are as made plain hereinafter. v

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in theaccompanying drawing, in which- Fig. l is an end elevation of the tenter-chain link made according to the invention, in its working position upon the track of atenter drier.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the link of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a ypartial section on line 3-3of Fig. l, showing certain of the staples as if not fully driven home on their backing, toillustratethe staggered arrangement.

In accordance with the invention, and as shown in Figs. 1 and I2, the links I forming the tenter chains have .broad arms -3, on the enlarged, substantially 'square extremities of which are formed recesses parallel to the chain-links, in which are received rectangular pieces of backing material 5, in Which latter are set, perpendicularly or at any desired angle, a great number of wires'l, which have their upper extremities bent obliquely outwardly, terminating in sharp points. Prefv erably, but not necessarily, this combination of pins and their backing material represents a section of very heavy card-clothing, made according to well-known methods, but having the feature of arrangement that is shown in Fig. 3, namely, that the staples forming the points are inserted in the backing 5 in rows of which the successive staples are alternately staggered slightly, though not staggered so far but that all of the staples forming a row may be overlain by a cross-bar 9 of a grid or retaining frame Il, which is applied over the base 5 and aflixed'to the end of arm 3 by suitable screws I3. The

use of the retaining bars 9 has been found necessary in practice to prevent the points or staples from Working loose in the backing, and thus tipping inwardly under the strain and failing to hold the fabric securely against escape in its passage 'through the drier. It will be seen that `the cross-bars 9 hold the bases of the staples, lying exposed at the under surface of the backing 5, firmly against the metal surface of arm 3 at the bottom of the recess containing the backing 5. In the arrangement shown, every staple entering into the construction of the cardclothing is spanned by one or another of the crossbars 9, and thus effectually prevented from working loose.

In practice, the card-clothing employed is of sufficient fmeness, i. e., large number of points per square inch, so that it presents an engaging area holding the cloth through hardly more than superficial contact with the surface thereto enter the cloth and then pass toward the selvage almost parallel to the plane of the cloth and within its thickness, instead of piercing through the fabric; for the same reason, the wires forming the staples are relatively thick and abruptly pointed, the pointing being preferably effected through grinding away only one side of each extremity, the side which is uppermost when in the bent-over relation of Fig. 1.

The bend or knee in each point acts to limit the extent of penetration, as a balance of forces is reached after which the inward pull of the fabric has no further effect of sinking the points into the fabric, as the angle of the shank of each point, between the bend and the backing, is unfavorable. Hence the position of the bend and the angle of the shank will be varied for various types and thicknesses of fabric, to limit the extent of penetration.

In accordance with the invention principle, the number of points per square inch will be increased as the fabrics to be stretched run thinner, so that lthe fabric will be supported and held on the tips of the multiplicity of points with little or no penetration through the fabric.

An added advantage of decidedimportance accruing from the invention principle is that the fabric can be dried at the same uniform rate at its point of engagement with the tenter-pins as elsewhere, because it never gets down to the base or backing of the pins and hence the drytion as expressed in the claims.

ing air can circulate across both its surfaces, whereas in the former types of sparse, straight pins the fabric seated itself against the backing and thus was shielded from the air-currents at one surface, resulting in a non-uniform rate of drying, Which meant shading of the color of the material in subsequent finishing operations.

While I have illustrated and described a certain form in which the invention may be embodied, I am aware that many modifications may be made therein by any person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the inven- Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the particular form shown, or to the details of construction thereof, but what I do claim is:

1. In a tenter chain, in combination, a link having a laterally-extended arm, a recess in such arm, card-clothing having its backing received in such recess, and a retaining frame engaging the backing and secured to such arm.

2. In a tenter chain, a link having a laterallyextended arm, a backing, staples extending through such backing, and a retaining member between the legs of each of a plurality of staples holding the staples and their backing to the arm.

3. In a tenter chain, in combination, a link having a laterally-extended arm, a recess in such arm, card-clothing having its backing received in such recess and prevented from escape in the direction of extent of the arm by a side-wall of such recess, a retaining frame overlying and engaging the backing, lying below the level of the points of the card-clothing, and fastening means securing the frame to the arm so that the frame holds the backing down in the recess.

' FRANK B. MORRILL. 

